Standardization

[Thanos]

Since all the worlds in the Imperium have their own rules and regs is there any standardization across the Imperium?

Example planet 1 uses OS 1 planet 2 (9 jumps away) uses OS qr92. I need to update my software. The two OS are not compatible. What do I do?

My ship is a regional variant of a Beowulf will its airlock match up with other ships? With the infinite variations for almost any piece of equipment how do you repair, fix anything? Need a battery for your las rifle? Sorry we don’t make batteries to those specs. I can do a custom job for you but it’s gonna cost extra.

 

[Supplement Four]

If you are going to implement this, I'd base it on TL, with the notion that higher TL worlds have more compatible tech.

So, two TL 6 worlds would have primitive computing abilities that doesn't play well with others. TL D worlds may have different OS, but built in is adapters for communicating with other TL D OS.

In effect, TL 6 worlds may have similar OS due to the tech available at that level, but any two OS would be incompatible.

Between two worlds at TL D, they could have two very different OS packages, but the OS is so smart that is adapts easily to other OS at the same TL.

 

[Supplement Four]

My ship is a regional variant of a Beowulf will its airlock match up with other ships? With the infinite variations for almost any piece of equipment how do you repair, fix anything? Need a battery for your las rifle? Sorry we don’t make batteries to those specs. I can do a custom job for you but it’s gonna cost extra.

Much of this will fall under the How-do-you-want-to-run-your-game-Ref department.

With ships, though. They are higher tech (as I state above), and if going by LBB 2 rules, their components are modular. Which would make me lean toward compatibility.

It doesn't seem logical to create a starship that will venture to other worlds and not have an airlock that can be used that often in docking with another ship or station.

 

[McPerth]

Since all the worlds in the Imperium have their own rules and regs is there any standardization across the Imperium?

Example planet 1 uses OS 1 planet 2 (9 jumps away) uses OS qr92. I need to update my software. The two OS are not compatible. What do I do?

My ship is a regional variant of a Beowulf will its airlock match up with other ships? With the infinite variations for almost any piece of equipment how do you repair, fix anything? Need a battery for your las rifle? Sorry we don’t make batteries to those specs. I can do a custom job for you but it’s gonna cost extra.

I'd say there is quite a lot of standarizatoin along the Imperium, at least for products built for export. Otherwise, you'd find your products ae not usable on the market worlds.

About ships, I guess there's where most standarization exists. All Imperial services must be able to be deployed anywhere in the Imperium (In fact, I guess they are rotated quite often to avoid loyality going more to the región tan to the Imperium itself), and they msut be able to use the material and facilities there, or to have their ships repaired there.

 

[mike wightman]

Within the OTU the ruling polity sets the standards and everything is as compatible as it can be.

T4 was pretty explicit on this.

The Imperium has standards that have to be met by member worlds to ensure compatibility.

 

[whartung]

In the OTU, Microsoft is a megacorp, and your computers will (must) run anything from Windows '95 on up.

 

[Thanos]

Within the OTU the ruling polity sets the standards and everything is as compatible as it can be.

T4 was pretty explicit on this.

The Imperium has standards that have to be met by member worlds to ensure compatibility.

So then member worlds just sit around and wait for the scientists on Core to come up with new ways to do things?

 

[Blue Ghost]

Since all the worlds in the Imperium have their own rules and regs is there any standardization across the Imperium?

Example planet 1 uses OS 1 planet 2 (9 jumps away) uses OS qr92. I need to update my software. The two OS are not compatible. What do I do?

My ship is a regional variant of a Beowulf will its airlock match up with other ships? With the infinite variations for almost any piece of equipment how do you repair, fix anything? Need a battery for your las rifle? Sorry we don’t make batteries to those specs. I can do a custom job for you but it’s gonna cost extra.

I believe the rules state that in the Imperium, as far as interstellar tech goes, there is a kind of uniformity because of the nature of Vilani society; a bit slower paced than Soli/Terran, or a bit less prone to change. I think it's more implicit in a lot of the write ups regarding the Imperium, but I think it's also flatly stated in both Solimani and Vilani race writeups.

 

[Condottiere]

USB 2.0.

And since patents and copyrights have long since expired, Windows X.

 

[mike wightman]

Nothing to do with the Vilani or Solomani.

When the Syleans began their expansion to become the 3I standardisation was a necessity.


They even sent out scout missions with fusion+ and makers to make worlds well beyond the border beholden to the Imperium when it eventually showed up.

 

[Supplement Four]

I think the reference to the Vilani and their insular, bureaucratic nature is a great idea to answer the question of standardization practices.

I mean, as long as we're making stuff up. :coffeesip:

 

[coliver988]

Necessary link to standards:

xkcd

 

[kilemall]

I run LBB2 ship engineering as cross-TL ISO standards, very much plug and play as much as a ship can.

That just makes sense.

Then HG is very TL, very custom, and far fewer starports can build outside their TL range.

Similar thing with other gear, standard rated stuff is common and interchangeable or only one major design/supplier, more advanced TL past default equipment ability either costs less, is more reliable or has more features and 'customer lock-in' with incompatibility.

"Oh, you want the SALH rounds for that ACR? That only comes with the TL11 package sold by Stellarms, and you have to have the whole set, the ammo communicates on a proprietary channel with the designator due to the anti-jamming wavelength skipping. Not cheap either, it's maintaining the DS penetration while building the sensors into the fins".

 

[Whipsnade]

I run LBB2 ship engineering as cross-TL ISO standards, very much plug and play as much as a ship can.

That just makes sense.

Then HG is very TL, very custom, and far fewer starports can build outside their TL range.

That's long been my in-game "explanation" for the differences between LBB:2 and HG2.

 

[Thanos]

Necessary link to standards:

xkcd

Kinda my point.

 

[Blue Ghost]

I think the reference to the Vilani and their insular, bureaucratic nature is a great idea to answer the question of standardization practices.

I mean, as long as we're making stuff up. :coffeesip:

I didn't make it up. I think it's either in Vilani and Vargr or the MT Rebellion sourcebook ... maybe in CT library data or something ... it's been so long.

 

[Supplement Four]

I didn't make it up. I think it's either in Vilani and Vargr or the MT Rebellion sourcebook ... maybe in CT library data or something ... it's been so long.

I mean that as support of your comment, Blue Ghost. Mike's comment, above mine, dismissed the Vilani idea. I was supporting it. :coffeegulp:

 

[Blue Ghost]

Thanks dude. Have a cup of Joe on me.

 

[mike wightman]

The Syleans established the 3I. Sylean culture was very different to Vilani culture and Solomani culture.

3I standardisation is due to Sylean insistence as a membership of the Imperium clause that these standards will be adopted.

There are probably Solomani in the far future who still use feet and inches, while the vast majority use metric.

Why would the Vilani adopt the metric system of their Solomani overlords during the ROM (perhaps we now know the real reason for the long night - the chaos that ensues from having the Vilani try to move to Terran metric standards...)

 

[kilemall]

The Syleans established the 3I. Sylean culture was very different to Vilani culture and Solomani culture.

3I standardisation is due to Sylean insistence as a membership of the Imperium clause that these standards will be adopted.

There are probably Solomani in the far future who still use feet and inches, while the vast majority use metric.

Why would the Vilani adopt the metric system of their Solomani overlords during the ROM (perhaps we now know the real reason for the long night - the chaos that ensues from having the Vilani try to move to Terran metric standards...)

Hmm that reminds me- I have different measurement traditions IMTU, where some navies use kilometers, others use LS (using the shorthand of saying 'X contact is 2 seconds out'), and others use Gs as a shortcut for saying 10,000 km (yes I know G is in Traveller terms properly speaking a measure of acceleration, but some navies want their crews thinking in terms of relative speeds and distances to manage).

Then, make dissimilar forces try to talk to each other.

I might make the Americans still do miles too, come to think of it. Space knots perhaps?